1. CLEAR very clear, and easy to understand or recognize Synonym : obviousit is plain (that) It was plain that Giles was not going to agree. The advantages were plain to see. You have made your feelings plain enough. Let me make it plain (=state it clearly). We do not want you here.make yourself plain (=make what you are saying clear) If you do that again you will be severely punished. Do I make myself plain?as plain as day/the nose on your face (=very clear)

2. in plain English/language in clear and simple words, without using technical language: The document, written in plain English, tells you about your new policy.

3. SIMPLE without anything added or without decoration Synonym : simple: a plain white blouse a plain wooden table plain yoghurt a plain gold wedding ring Your essay should be written on plain paper (=paper with no lines on it).

4. HONEST showing clearly and honestly what is true or what you think about something Synonym : frank, candid: Let’s have some plain, truthful answers. I don’t know, and that’s the plain truth.The plain fact is people still buy books.

5. EMPHASIS [only before noun] spoken used to emphasize that a particular type of behaviour, attitude etc is involved, usually a bad one: His motive was plain greed. When you told him his house was too cold that was just plain bad manners.

6. NOT BEAUTIFUL not beautiful or attractive – often used because you want to avoid saying this directly: Mrs Cookson was a rather plain woman.plain Jane (=used to talk about a woman who is not beautiful)

8. (just) plain Mr/Mrs etc spoken used to show that someone does not have or use a special title: I don’t call him Uncle – just plain Bill.

9. be plain sailing to be very easy to do or achieve: If you can answer the first question, the rest of the test should be plain sailing.

10. in plain sight American English if something is in plain sight, it is easy to see or notice, especially when it should be hidden: Don’t leave your valuables in plain sight.—plainness noun [uncountable]

plain III. clear VERBS be, seem | become | make sth They made it plain that they were against the idea. ADV. very | absolutely, perfectly, quite Within weeks, it became perfectly plain that we were in the grip of a tyrant. increasingly | fairly, pretty, reasonably PREP. to It is all quite plain to me.

plain noun ADJ. open The horses galloped across the open plains. rolling, sweeping miles of rolling plain, made fertile by the river great, unbroken, vast | flat | fertile fertile plains suitable for farming grassy | coastal PREP. across a/the ~ Cattle move freely across the grassy plain. in a/the ~ the Olduvai Gorge in the vast plain of Tanzania on a/the ~ Nothing grew on the plain.